نشریه مطالعات راهبردی جهان اسلام
سال یازدهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 43، پاییز 1389)

In the past decade, Islam world and the West have stood against each other more than ever. Although this confrontation resulted more from West's strategic attitude toward having dominance on the world after the end of the Cold War and victory over communism, 11 September events changed place of this strategy's "evidences" to a large extent and the West actually announced in its propaganda beginning of a strategic fighting as "war against terrorism". However, in its clear policy, the West has had two attitudes toward Islam World: regime change through use of force and again following the same policy through dialogue. The main purpose of this paper, in addressing the relations between Islam and the West, is the content of these two policies, the Islam world's reaction, goal of dialogue policy, and finally the Islam world's need to develop strategies to deal with the West intelligently.

Over the past decades, especially in the Baath period, Iraq has been a threatening actor against Iran. Regime change in Iraq after the U.S. invasion and the formation of a new power structure with democratic components which have been supported by Islamic Republic of Iran, have caused beginning of a new era in relations and interactions of Iran and Iraq. But considering the regional dimensions and consequences of this problem, especially affecting the regional balance of power, this issue has been faced with the opposition of some regional actors and transregional powers. Accordingly, the present paper tries to explain their goals and to examine policies and measures of US and Arab countries with centrality of Saudi Arabia as the main actors who have called for confining interactions of Iran and Iraq in post-Saddam period.

Continuing military-security impasse of western countries in Afghanistan has caused again peacemaking ideas and initiatives in this country to be revealed and as a new alternative may create an opening in the current situation. Afghanistan’s Supreme Peace Council has grown in such a context which understanding its dimensions and angles bring a brighter perspective for interested actors in the intended area. In addition to examining and assessing processes and backgrounds of peacemaking in Afghanistan, goals and structure of council, exploring the positions of influential actors in Afghanistan, this study relying on conceptual issues related to the requirements and needs of political negotiations, has tried to provide five possible scenarios with a realistic understanding of the developments in Afghanistan records. Accordingly, it cannot be expected the council be able to achieve one of the far goals in Afghanistan i.e. "peace".

Election as one of the major democratic factors requires objective backgrounds (political parties, syndicate, civil society, and the rules of political game ...) and subjective backgrounds (people’s preparedness to accept the rules of being partial, peaceful participating in political processes, avoiding violence and having a nationalistic attitude rather than ethnocentric attitude ...). To some extent, these backgrounds have been created in Afghanistan, but have not reached to the relative completeness stage. After the occupation of Afghanistan by Coalition forces, there have been efforts to dominate the rules of democracy in this country, but Afghan political
institutions are somehow under the influence of traditional and ethnocentric political culture. Indeed, the Afghanistan has sustained still its traditional nature which is based on "ethnicity", and other institutions are also affected.
In Afghan parliamentary election which was hold directly by the authorities of this country, the tribal ethnic considerations like the previous periods were one of its prominent features. But in a realistic perspective, the election as a turning point in the process of Afghanistan developments is evaluated positively for the institutionalization of people participation processes in the political process. On the other hand, this measure is considered as a kind of assessment with the aim of displaying responsibility and offering sound governance methods for Afghanistan.

The present paper examines the reasons of expanding the scope and severity of al-Qaida activities in Yemen in both domestic and international arena. The author analyzes effective internal and external factors in Al-Qaeda’s empowering in Yemen to scrutinize the reasons of the new round of expansion and the presence of al-Qaeda in Yemen. In addition, the issue of Yemeni government's relationship with al-Qaeda and the role and policy of the West in growing and expanding of this challenge is examined. But the main argument is about an organization named "Qaidat al-Jihad fi Jazirat al-Arab" and its goals and strategies for achieving these goals. The main focus of this research is the new period of al-Qaeda presence in Yemen (2006-2010). However, previous periods would be considered in examining the history of al-Qaeda’s presence and activities in Yemen.

Tariga (Islamic school of thought) networks are considered as the identity layers in Turkey and in different historical periods have had functional role in the political, social, cultural, and even economic fields of this country. Fatollah Golan movement which is the offshoot of Badiozaman Saeed Noorsi, has been able to gain significant influence in Turkey and the world within three decades. The main goal of this movement is creating a committed and Islamic society and at the same time putting an end to the West’s dominance over the Islamic world by enjoying cognition, science and modern progressive technology. Today the name of Fatollah Golan is the reminder of enlightening or moderate Islam which many researchers have considered its teachings and worldview as the "paradigm of social Islam".
Although this movement has had serious opponents in past decades, today due to West’s support to it, the conditions have been partly provided for deepening and expanding it in the national (Turkey), regional (Middle East’s Muslim countries, Eurasia and even Africa) and International levels. It seems that the Turkish government would design teachings and political-social worldview of this movement as an Islamic model of Turkey for Islam world in the future.